– Partnership with MSN Delivers the No. 1 Weight Loss Destination on the Web: Fitbie.com –
– Rodale Magazine Apps Claim Top Five Slots for Highest Grossing Healthcare & Fitness Apps on iPad –
New York, NY, March 6, 2012 – Rodale Inc. announced today that Matt Bean has been promoted to Vice President of Digital Product Development at Rodale Inc., the leading healthy lifestyle publisher. In this role, Bean will now manage Rodale’s portfolio of digital partnerships with MSN, Google/YouTube and the Starbucks Digital Network, and will continue to guide digital strategy across Rodale’s digital magazine editions, award-winning mobile apps and mobile websites, and emerging platforms such as Flipboard. He will report directly to Anthony Astarita, SVP/General Manager, Digital & New Brand Development.

“From the very beginning, Matt has been on the cutting edge of the digital landscape, strategically reaching new audiences for Rodale across multi-platform touch points,” said Astarita. “Matt is adept at elevating content and adopting new technologies, and I am confident that his talents will set us up for a really strong year and beyond.”

Efforts in digital and new product development have rapidly accelerated and matured into high-growth business drivers at Rodale, and these areas remain a top priority for the company. Fitbie.com, Rodale’s newest brand, live on the MSN Network, grew to become the No. 1 diet and weight loss destination on the Web, and Rodale serves as the leading content provider on the Starbucks Digital Network. Marking its third digital joint venture, Rodale recently announced a new partnership with BermanBraun to create content channels for YouTube’s original programming initiative, including a food-centric channel and a health-and-wellness channel. Launching in April, the channels will showcase both original and the best of Rodale’s archived content. To support Rodale’s digital trajectory, the company has made several additional hires and promotions.

As the former AVP of Mobile, Social and Emerging Media, Bean lead Rodale’s app strategy, working closely with all Rodale departments and brands, including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, Bicycling, Runner’s World, Organic Gardening, and Eat This, Not That!, to develop concepts, ideas, and products around mobile, gaming, video and social media. Bean was named among min’s esteemed “21 Most Intriguing People in Media” for 2011. He oversaw the launch of Rodale’s first gaming endeavor with Microsoft Kinect’s “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved” and has helped launch more than 50 apps across the iPad, iPhone and Android platforms to date. In 2010, Bean oversaw the creation of a custom platform that helped Rodale brands launch along with the debut of the iPad, and in 2011, he oversaw the migration of Rodale’s digital magazine properties to the Adobe platform and iOS Newsstand, where they have flourished. This past weekend Rodale claimed the top five slots for the highest grossing iPad apps in the healthcare and fitness category and held 10 percent of the top 50 highest grossing iPad apps overall.

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About Rodale Inc: Rodale is a global media company with a heritage, mission, and authority dedicated to the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet. Through a broad portfolio of leading media properties, Rodale reaches more than 70 million people around the world through multiple distribution channels, including magazines, books, online, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, and video. The company publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men’s Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Running Times, and Organic Gardening, and is one of the largest independent book publishers in the United States, with a collection of bestselling titles, including Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, Eat This, Not That! and Flat Belly Diet! Rodale is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. To learn more about Rodale, visit www.rodale.com.